I became the demon of the female devil

Chapter 377 The Empress Wants to Remarry? The First Wife of the Chen Family: A Competitive Selection!
Seeing the Empress's serious expression, Yu Youhan's eyebrows twitched.

"So you disguised yourself as a female official and traveled all the way to the southern border just to tell me this?"

"Jiang Yuchan, aren't you being far too naive!"

"I'm naive? The pot calling the kettle black. How much better are you than me?" The Empress sneered. "As an Imperial Noble Consort, disguising yourself as a Tianlin Guard officer to have a secret rendezvous with Chen Mo is truly shameless..."

"Say it again?" Yu Youhan's eyes turned cold.

The Empress shuddered and instinctively shrank back.

However, remembering the "ambitions" she had set before coming, she gritted her teeth, puffed out her chest, and said, "You, you're trying to scare me. If you could fight, you would have done it already. You wouldn't have waited until now..."

"is it?"

A murderous intent began to rise in Yu Youhan's heart.

Things are different now; she is not so concerned about the backlash against the nation's fate.

Moreover, the Empress secretly left the palace without telling anyone this time, so even if she dies here, no one will know it was her who did it. It's a perfect opportunity...

Chu Yanli sensed something was wrong, her expression turned serious, and she stood in front of the Empress, golden flames burning in her eyes.

"Consort Yu, please reconsider."

"As long as I activate the Tiger Seal, the Xuanhuang Army and the Tianfeng Army will be able to reach Bailu City within half an incense stick's time."

"The question is, can you last even half an incense stick's time?" Yu Youhan asked softly, her azure eyes full of mockery.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Yu Youhan frowned slightly as she felt a burning sensation on her wrist. "Sure enough, as long as it's someone Chen Mo cares about, even if they're far from the palace and he's not even there, you still can't make a move."

"The Empress must have seen through this, which is why she is so fearless."

"Forget it, we can't take the risk..."

Sensing that the killing intent had dissipated, Chu Yanli relaxed her tense body and forced a smile, "That's more like it, let's talk this out..."

boom!
Before he could finish speaking, a flash of blue light appeared, and he was blasted away!

He slammed hard against the inner wall of the sedan chair, his chest caved in, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face turned as pale as paper, but the sedan chair bearers outside were completely unaware of what was happening.

Yu Youhan remained unmoved, her tone indifferent as she said, "Who gave you the right to interrupt? And you dare to threaten me with the Tiger Tally? Chu Yanli, are you tired of living?"

If you can't touch the Empress, you can't touch me?

The eldest princess was clearly not yet included in Chen Mo's "harem list," and Hong Ling showed no reaction to this.

"Li'er!"

The Empress exclaimed in surprise.

He spread his arms to protect Chu Yanli and shouted angrily at Yu Youhan, "If you've got the guts, come at me!"

"Tch, you think I don't want to?" Yu Youhan said with a displeased expression.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Chu Yanli coughed, sat on the ground to catch her breath, and strands of golden light shone through. Her broken sternum quickly returned to normal, and her cheeks gradually regained color.

The other party didn't kill; it was just a warning.

If it were a life-or-death battle between two people, let alone half an incense stick's time, even lasting ten breaths would be considered an extraordinary performance!

Although in terms of pure combat strength, she was stronger than a top-tier first-grade fighter, she was no different from this woman; she was nothing more than a stronger ant...

Yu Youhan leaned back lazily in her chair, legs crossed, and looked up at the Empress. "Let's talk. What do you mean by fair competition?"

?

The topic changed so quickly that the Queen almost didn't react in time.

After confirming that Chu Yanli was alright, he helped her to sit down, then sat opposite Yu Youhan and said seriously, "I know that your relationship with Chen Mo is not simple. There seems to be some special bond between you, such as that red ribbon..."

Yu Youhan remained expressionless. "So?"

"While it's unrealistic to expect you to separate, I just hope you understand one thing..."

The Empress stared intently at Yu Youhan with unwavering eyes and said in a deep voice, "I will absolutely not hand over Chen Mo to anyone, even if it costs me my dignity, status, or even my life!"

?

Looking at her resolute expression, Yu Youhan was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at? I'm serious!" The Queen clenched her fists, her cheeks flushed. "You're being really rude!"

"You're the mother of a nation, how can you say such cheesy things?" Yu Youhan shrugged, almost laughing until tears streamed down her face, and shook her head, saying, "It's easy to fool others, but can you fool yourself?"

The one who understands you best is always your enemy.

The two have been dealing with each other for so many years, going back and forth, and are very clear about each other's style of doing things.

Since the emperor fell ill, he has neglected state affairs. As a woman, the empress has to balance the two factions, stabilize the court, manage the country, and bring peace to the nation. She has devoted countless efforts to this task. How could she act so impulsively for her own selfish desires?
"Do you think I don't know what you're up to?" Yu Youhan waved his hand dismissively. "If one day, the dragon energy within Chen Mo dissipates and is no longer linked to the fate of the nation, will you still be so certain?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress remained silent for a moment, and instead of answering immediately, she took out a piece of yellow silk from her bosom and placed it on the table.

"what is this?"

Yu Youhan reached out and took it, unfolded it and glanced at it, her expression immediately freezing.

The inscription was covered with tiny characters listing the "sins" committed by the Empress. The gist of it was that she felt guilty for her lack of virtue and ashamed to be the mother of the nation, so she voluntarily left the Eastern Palace to cultivate herself in a remote mountain temple and end her remaining years.

It is equivalent to a "self-reproach edict" in some sense.

To put it bluntly, whoever wants to be empress can be empress; she's not going to be one.

According to the rules of etiquette, the empress was not entitled to resign voluntarily, but now that the emperor could not even get out of bed, as the representative of imperial power, there was really no one who could restrain her.

That crazy woman...

They're actually serious?!

“My entry into the palace was originally a transaction, and over the years, I believe I have lived up to my conscience.”

"Now that the situation in the Southern Frontier is about to be stabilized and the Demon Lord has already perished, the Great Yuan has no external worries, only internal troubles."

"Once the Eight Desolations Demon-Slaying Formation is broken, we can begin to purge the sects and aristocratic families."

"Although the Crown Prince is young, he has Li'er on the outside and Lü Huaiyu on the inside. It is not difficult to help him secure the throne. At least the country can be guaranteed to be safe for a hundred years."

“You can say I’m shameless and disregard propriety, but I’ve already wasted half my life, and all I want to do from now on is follow my heart.”

The Empress lowered her eyelids, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she bit her lip, saying, "I don't want to be an Empress, I want to be Lady Chen!"

"..."

Chu Yanli's mouth gaped open as she stared at her in disbelief.

After a moment of silence, Yu Youhan tossed aside the yellow silk and said indifferently, "Whether you become empress or not is none of my business, but Madam Chen is not suitable. This position has already been reserved."

The Empress bit her lip and said, "This matter is not up to either of us; Chen Mo has to make the decision himself."

Yu Youhan sneered, "You seem very confident."

The Empress raised her head and snorted, "Don't forget, I am the Empress and you are a concubine. I used to be superior to you, and I will be in the future!"

Yu Youhan's eyes grew even colder. "Jiang Yuchan, you're getting too cocky again, aren't you?"

The Empress's face stiffened, and she instinctively put her hands behind her back, stammering, "It was agreed beforehand that you... you can't hit people!"

???

Chu Yanli stared blankly, her face full of question marks.

Her brother isn't even completely dead yet, and the wife and concubine are already vying to remarry...

You don’t even want to act anymore, right?
The Empress is one thing, since she had already laid her cards on the table.

Who would have thought that Yu Youhan, this ruthless and vicious female demon, would actually be jealous of Chen Mo?
This is absolutely outrageous!

"Ahem, excuse me for interrupting."

Chu Yanli cleared her throat and tentatively said, "What if, I mean, what if Chen Mo becomes a prince consort in the future? After all, it would be a waste not to use his skills to serve the court."

The air fell silent the moment these words were spoken.

The two, who had been exchanging barbs, slowly turned their heads and stared intently at Chu Yanli.

"Li'er, what nonsense are you spouting?" "You surnamed Chu, have I given you the time of day?"

Chu Yanli silently lowered her head, "That's all, you can continue..."

At this moment, the sedan chair slowly came to a stop.

A voice came from outside: "Your Highness, we have arrived."

Yu Youhan stood up, her eyes indifferent as she looked at the Empress. "I advise you not to waste your energy. My fate is intertwined with Chen Mo's; no one else can interfere..."

"As far as I know, he was already engaged, and you were the third party who interfered..."

The Empress crossed her arms and said confidently, "I don't want to argue with you. I've said what I needed to say. As for who will have the last laugh, that's up to each of us."

"Humph."

Yu Youhan was too lazy to say anything more, and her figure vanished like a bubble.

"Hey? Why did she leave? I haven't even asked her where Chen Mo is yet!"

The Empress realized what was happening and hurriedly lifted the sedan curtain to look, but the sedan chair had already vanished without a trace.

"Alright, the people outside are still waiting." Chu Yanli said, "Chen Mo is here to investigate a case. He won't leave Bailu City until the matter of the Gu God Sect is clarified. You will have a chance to meet sooner or later."

"That's true." The Empress nodded, then asked, "By the way, do you think there's a problem with the prefecture?"

"The problem is quite significant."

A glint of light flashed in Chu Yanli's eyes. "It seems we'll be staying here for a while."

……

……

last night.

Yihua Building.

The Tianlin Guards had gradually returned to the guest rooms on the second floor.

But they waited until midnight and still didn't see Chen Mo and Xu You.

"Strange, it's been so long without any news, could it be..."

Li Yuan was getting restless and wanted to go out to look for them, but Ye Zi'e quickly stopped her, saying, "Don't worry, they'll be fine."

With the Empress Dowager around, what kind of accident could happen?
If you disturb their time together, you'll likely face the consequences.

call--

As the third watch drum sounded, a gust of night wind howled past.

The window was blown open with a "bang," and Chen Mo slipped into the room, wearing a white bone mask and carrying a strange woman in his hand.

"grown ups."

"Master Chen."

Everyone stood up one after another.

Li Yuan looked at the unconscious girl and asked in confusion, "Lord Chen, who is she...?"

“That Lady Hua’s maid is also an informant for the Gu God Cult.” Chen Mo raised his hand and threw Xiao Die to the ground.

While he was fighting with the Taoist priest Xuanzhen in the Taoist temple, the woman wanted to go back to report the news, but he intercepted her halfway back.

"Have you found a clue?" Ye Zige asked.

"Yes, they discovered the Gu God Cult's headquarters and even got into a fight with them..."

Chen Mo gave a general account of what happened, omitting the part about him and Xu You eavesdropping.

Upon hearing that there were barbarian slaves hidden on the Li family's merchant ship, everyone was shocked, never expecting that the barbarians were also involved!
This is a big problem!

What was originally just a rebellion by heretical sects, an internal affair of the two southern provinces, has now escalated to the national level! After all, colluding with barbarian tribes is a real act of treason!

"Where's Officer Xu? Why didn't he come back with you?"

Ye Zige looked out the window but did not see Xu You.

Chen Mo said, "Xu and I split up. She went to track down another person. She'll let me know if there are any problems. Tell me what you've found so far."

“The theater has been sealed off. Earlier, officials from the government went there, but it was just a routine questioning; it felt like a mere formality,” Li Yuan said.

Song Xuan continued, "I was spreading the news in the teahouse when government officials suddenly rushed in, cleared out all the customers, and ordered all teahouses, restaurants, and brothels in the city to close for rectification immediately."

"Furthermore, a notice was posted stating that anyone spreading rumors would be punished with fifty strokes of the cane and thrown into jail!"

Chen Mo frowned upon hearing this.

"Is this a forced gag?"

"But it has happened after all. Even if the prefectural government is corrupt, it wouldn't dare to be so blatant... Lu Shuyuan, I asked you to keep an eye on the inner city. Have you noticed anything unusual?"

Lu Shuyuan replied, "Your Excellency, I was keeping watch outside the government office when suddenly all the officials gathered together, including the Prefect Jiao Yu, and headed out of the city."

Chen Mo asked in confusion, "You mean, all the officials and constables in the entire prefecture have left the city?"

“That’s right.” Lu Shuyuan nodded and said, “There are quite a few experts among them. I didn’t dare to get too close. I only vaguely heard that some distinguished guests had arrived, and then I hurriedly came back to report.”

Chen Mo's eyes flickered as he fell into deep thought.

Could it be that an imperial envoy has been sent from the capital, and the prefecture is worried that things will escalate, so it is in a hurry to cover up the news?

But what kind of imperial envoy was it that required such a grand spectacle?
"It seems the time is almost right; it's time to go to the government office and find out what's going on..."

"Well--"

At this moment, Xiaodie let out a muffled groan and slowly woke up.

Looking up at the group, he noticed Chen Mo and his gaze changed from bewilderment to fear.

This man not only followed her to Ziyun Temple, but also fought Xuanzhen Daoist to a standstill. He must be at least a martial arts master!
If they fall into his hands, they'll likely meet a terrible end!
"Who are you? What do you want?" Xiaodie said fiercely but weakly, "If you dare to lay a finger on me, Master Xuanzhen will absolutely not let you get away with it!"

"He can barely take care of himself, how can he possibly care about you?"

Chen Mo walked up to her, reached out and took off his mask, revealing an incomparably handsome face.

Especially those jet-black eyes, like bottomless whirlpools, seemed to suck one's soul in.

Xiaodie realized something was wrong and tried to look away, but it was too late. Her consciousness gradually sank into the abyss, and her eyes became empty and lifeless.

"I ask, you answer," Chen Mo said calmly.

"Yes," Xiaodie replied woodenly.

……

……

The sky is bright.

Xiaodie's eyes rolled back, her body convulsed, and she fainted again.

Chen Mo frowned, "This is really troublesome..."

While the Great Dream of a Thousand Autumns is a powerful technique, it also has significant limitations. First, the difference in soul power between the two parties must be large enough, and the opponent's consciousness must be on the verge of collapse. Only in this way can it achieve its best effect.

But this maid named Xiaodie was surprisingly determined.

Especially regarding the mystical and profound parts, you can hardly get any useful information out of them.

"What is certain at present is that Ziyun Temple is indeed one of the strongholds of the Gu God Sect. Master Xuanzhen's status is equivalent to that of a worshipper, while she is Xuanzhen's personal disciple."

"Madam Hua has long been colluding with the government, but she doesn't know exactly who it is..."

"It's Tang Xingbang from the Maritime Trade Office."

Before he finished speaking, Xu You pushed open the door and walked in, saying, "Ming Yuchun acted as a middleman, connecting the two of them. That group of barbarian slaves was also arranged by Tang Xingbang."

"Officer Xu?" Chen Mo frowned and asked, "Why did it take you so long to get back?"

Xu You's eyes looked somewhat unnatural as she gritted her teeth and said, "We encountered two tigresses blocking our way, which delayed us a little."

(End of this chapter)